


turned into gold

by thathockey



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alpha Evgeni Malkin, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Regency, Fluff and Smut, Knotting, M/M, Omega Sidney Crosby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:35:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24270685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thathockey/pseuds/thathockey
Summary: Celebrating his 30th birthday means Sidney has some truths to face about himself.He's an unwed and unmated Omega who hates to conform to society's expectations. But he's an unwed and unmated Omega who's also in love.
Relationships: Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin
Comments: 25
Kudos: 234
Collections: The 2020 Sid/Geno Exchange





	turned into gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SharpestScalpel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharpestScalpel/gifts).



> Dear SharpestScalpel, 
> 
> I hope you enjoy your fic! This is my first time writing any kind of regency story so I don't know if it'll be what you imagined, but I tried. 
> 
> I also mixed it up with A/B/O because you said you love it and I do too, so match made in heaven!
> 
> We're living through some difficult times but I hope you're well and maybe this can bring you some joy.
> 
> Dear rest of the world, 
> 
> I also hope you enjoy this story. And I wholeheartedly wish you all the best in these trying times. I, for one, am very excited about the SidGeno Exchange because I know dozens of stories will be posted and I'll have a smile on my face reading them all.
> 
> Thank you to my lovely best friend, Nat, who beta'd this story for me even though she knows nothing about the hockey fandom. You are the light of my life! All remaining mistakes are mine alone.
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated<3
> 
> _This is the age you are broken_  
>  or turned into gold.

The lights are bright, casting a white -almost angelic- hue over every single person in attendance. The orchestra music is loud, cheery and vibrant, punctuated every few beats with a clap of people’s hands.Both of these things make it seem like every space of the room is filled to the brim with optimism and joy. Sidney, however, is not feeling nearly as optimistic or joyous. 

This celebration taking place is all for him and Sidney has never been one to be ungrateful. But today Sidney has troubled and complicated feelings about the banquet that is being thrown to commemorate his 30th birthday. 

He’s happy, he is. Dozens of people have turned up just to see him, and he’s surrounded by all of his loved ones. His family is all here. His dearest friends and their own families. Even his household staff is enjoying the evening, taking turns to work on serving and cleaning up platters of food and drinks, and to dance and enjoy the meals themselves. 

Sidney is also overwhelmed. A little anxious. He finds himself unable to relax completely, like his body and his mind know that no matter how relaxed the atmosphere something bad can happen at any second. 

The smell of happiness is thick in the air and it’s not difficult to detect the unmistakable scent of excitement and curiosity as well. Because no matter how much Sidney tries to ignore it the truth is that a lot of the people showed up today with one thing and only one thing in mind. 

Sidney just turned 30 years old today and he’s still an unwed and unmated Omega. 

It’s not something that concerns him greatly. It really doesn’t concern him at all, if he’s completely honest. He’s never bought into the whole idea of marriage being an Omega’s only salvation and he’s been fortunate enough to have a family that has never believed it either. 

His parents are Betas and so is his younger sister, and although his parents could have used his presentation as an Omega to try to get standing they’ve never tried anything like that at all. It’s true that wealth is not something they struggled with ever but Sidney knows how much an Omegas hand in marriage can be worth. 

Society is another matter altogether, however. Society has made it known how tragic, abnormal and aberrant it is that Sidney hasn't been tied down by an Alpha yet, that he hasn’t birthed any children even as he gets older and closer to infertile age. 

The tune of a song changes into another as Sidney feels a light touch on his left arm, bent at the elbow so the glass he’s holding in his hand is close to his lips. He blinks slowly, feeling his mind coming back to his body as he turns his head slightly. His mother is standing next to him now, petite and radiant in her simple dress. 

“How are you doing, my child?” she asks him, her voice soft but loud enough to be heard above the music. 

Sidney keeps looking at her for a few seconds before responding, noting all the wrinkles that frame her face, all the signs that point towards her aging as well. 

“I’m doing fine,” Sidney answers and it’s both the truth and a lie all at once. 

“You look rather lonely,” his mother points out, interlacing her arm more comfortably through Sidney’s own. “This is all in your honor, my dear. Why are you looking so gloom in a corner of the room?”

“I’m not gloom, Mother,” Sidney denies. “I promise I’m not. I’m just a little bit… Overwhelmed.”

“I can understand that,” his mom concedes and then lets silence fall upon them. 

It isn’t real silence, of course, with all the lively noises of the party that surround them, but Sidney has never needed many words where his mother is concerned. They understand each other simply and easily, no questions or reasons why. 

A few guests walk by them and some nod in their direction, bolder ones stopping to make some small talk with Sidney. He never pulls his arm away from his mother’s, finding it makes for a good excuse not to have to constantly shake hands. 

“Mother…” Sidney says when a few minutes have passed and their area of the room is looking emptier than before. “Do you think it weird that I’m 30 and unmated?”

Her mom turns her head to look at him and her expression shows concern. 

“I didn’t think these types of things bothered you, Sid,” his mother says and she walks to put herself in front of him and not standing to his left. 

It makes Sidney feel irrationally safe like his mother will be able to protect him from everything. Sidney has just turned 30 and he shouldn't be revelling in these thoughts but for once Sidney allows himself to feel vulnerable and a little lost. He allows himself to take comfort in the familiar act of his mother’s protection.

“They don’t,” Sidney says. “Or well… I’ve just been thinking.”

“Do you want to go outside to talk?” His mother questions, cupping his cheek in one of her small hands. Her hand is warm, like Sidney always remembers them being in childhood memories. 

Sidney catches movement from above his mother’s right shoulder and when he focuses his gaze on it he sees Lord Thompson making his way deliberately towards them. His mother notices Sidney’s distraction and turns to watch what Sidney is gazing at. Lord Thompson stops before them only a couple of seconds later and he bows gently before Sidney’s mother, who steps away from son slightly and sends a tight smile the guest’s way. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, my Lady,” Lord Thompson says to Sidney’s mother but his eyes are focused solely on Sidney. “I would just like to ask Lord Crosby for a dance, now that he seems to be free of other engagements.”

Sidney’s mother looks ready to intervene and decline on her son’s behalf but Sidney sends a discreet look her way and she just nods her head towards Lord Thompson instead. 

“It’d be an honor.” Sidney accepts the invitation, grabbing Lord Thompson’s offered hand and letting him guide him towards the middle of the room. 

Sidney turns to look back at his mother once, and her face looks worried still. He knows she’ll want to talk about his comment sometime soon, maybe she will try in only a few minutes, but Sidney will keep avoiding that for a little longer. 

Dancing has never been Sidney’s strong suit but he’s accustomed enough to it to go through the motions without having to think about it too much. The movements come naturally to him, even if a little stilted. It’s all about taking control of his body and making it obey his brain’s commands and Sidney has always been good at physical activities. 

It’s clear that he and his partner don’t really match up, however. They’re in sync and Sidney doesn’t think anyone looking at them from the outside for only for a few seconds would think they’re not a good enough pair. But Sidney can feel the mismatch in the small details between them. It’s the way Lord Thompson leaves his hands just a fraction of a second too long on Sidney’s body when the dance can excuse it. It’s the way Sidney always recoils when this happens. It’s how Sidney is a few inches taller than Lord Thompson and it’s how the man tries to make up for this constantly, as if threatened by the fact. 

After a minute or so of dancing, Sidney can get lost inside his head and almost forget what it is that his body is doing. This has the added benefit of making him able to ignore his companion more easily but it also lets his thoughts wander towards places Sidney hadn't been looking forward to visiting yet. 

The lights, the music, the guests, the banquet… All for him. All in his honor. 

And yet Sidney can’t help but wonder: how many people are just here trying to catch a glimpse of the thirty-year-old unmated Omega? 

_Independent. Self-sufficient. Ambitious._ These are all words Sidney has used to describe himself, words he has used to explain why it is that he hasn't accepted any of the proposals he’s received over the years. 

_Disorderly. Arrogant. Improper._ These are all words other people have whispered behind his back about him, words meant to belittle him and make him feel guilty of his nature and his choices. 

Sidney isn’t a bad Omega, if such a thing as bad Omegas even exists. But Sidney knows he’s not what society would consider a proper Omega either. He’s too confident, too driven, too used to doing things his own way. He’s not what many people would want for an Omega partner. And still, being an Omega is prestigious enough that people would love to have him in any way they could. 

Sidney hates it. He hates it with a passion, even if hate is not a word that he tends to use much.

He hates how society wants him to fit in a role he has never felt he’s capable of fitting into. He hates the expectations placed upon Omegas. He hates the injustices they have to face, all veiled under the idea that it is simply in their nature to be treated that way. He hates the Alphas that mandate things should be that way. He hates the Betas that look the other way because it doesn’t concern them. He sometimes even hates the Omegas that seem to go through life as if this is okay with them. 

But most of all he hates the ways in which all of these expectations and rules and roles make him feel about himself, his life and his future. Because the thing is, Sidney wants to marry. He wants to marry and he wants to bear children, and he wants to raise a family with love and patient and determination. He’s always wanted these things. But he hates how much he wants them, as well. 

He’s been fighting against these desires for years, convinced that if he ever voiced them out-loud -or even worse, carried them out- he’d just be giving all those who’ve thought of him as nothing more than a subservient Omega the satisfaction of being right. 

But how is that fair? 

_It isn’t_ , Sidney thinks. 

The song Sidney and his partner had been dancing to comes to an end and Sidney can see Lord Thompson bracing himself to ask Sidney for another dance. Before this can happen Sidney excuses himself and walks as discreetly as possible towards the open, tall doors of the ballroom and steps outside. The gardens aren’t empty but they’re big enough that people can walk through them in peace if they’re in need of a break from all the festivities. 

Sidney knows these gardens better than any place on Earth so he makes a left turn when he is sure no one is watching him and walks towards one of the hidden spots in between orange trees and bushes. 

It’s a small spot of grass that is pretty difficult to see if you don’t know what you’re looking for, and Sidney has been taking advantage of that fact for years. He comes here whenever he needs a little space, whenever he feels overwhelmed, whenever he feels like the world is getting to be too much. 

Sidney crunches down to pat at the grass to make sure it isn’t wet or damp. He comes away with a dry hand so he sits down slowly, his legs bent at the knee and his arms hugging the closer to his chest. The night isn’t cold but there’s a slight breeze that raises bumps on the back of Sidney’s neck. Tilting his head back, Sidney looks at the sky through tree branches and tries to name some of the constellations he can make out. 

It’s a peaceful moment, the most relaxed Sidney has been all night. The comfort of the moment can’t make his worries disappear, however and Sidney sighs as he lets his legs fall down in front of him. He brings one of his hands towards his stomach and he delicately rests it there, caressing gently through the cloth of his garments. 

Sidney has always taken pride in manual jobs, he’s taken pride in showing his strength when others would want him to not have any, so the muscles in his abdomen are hard and taunt. He can’t help but wonder what it would be like to feel his stomach in a completely different situation. What would it be like to know the tautness of his skin was due to growing a life inside him? What would it be like to feel his child kicking at him through the same stomach that today only moves with his breaths? 

The thought fills him with a want so desperate Sidney can feel it in every cell of his body. But the thought also makes him feel guilty, like he’s doing something wrong, like he’s giving in. 

Sidney is so lost in his own mind that he doesn’t hear the steps approaching him until they’re so close they practically resonate in his ears. He quickly moves his hand away from his stomach and turns his body around to find Lord Malkin in between two trees. 

“Geno,” Sidney breathes, relieved and ashamed all at once at being found here. 

“Know you be here,” Geno says, smiling down at Sidney. “Always find you here.”

Sidney exhales through his nose, a noise resembling a chuckle but not quite. He isn’t surprised Geno found him just like Geno isn’t surprised to find Sidney here. There are very few things about Geno that would surprise Sid nowadays and yet there’s still so much about the man that constantly surprises him. 

“I just needed to be alone,” Sidney explains, even though he knows Geno doesn’t need an explanation from him.

“You want me to go?” Geno asks him, not looking hurt or sad or betrayed. He just looks like he wants Sidney to answer honestly because Geno will do whatever is best for Sidney. 

Sidney shakes his head. “No,” he says, reaching out with an arm and extending it towards Geno. “Sit down with me, please.”

Geno aims a radiant smile Sidney’s way and he sits down next to Sidney, so close that they’re thighs touch. Something inside Sidney sings at the contact, both because of the illicitness of it and because it’s _Geno_ that’s touching him. 

Geno would never dare to do something like this in public, not where people could see. An Alpha and an Omega who aren’t mated being so casual with their touches is nothing short of scandalous and improper. Sidney has heard from Geno more than once that while this is a thought he doesn't share, he would never dare put Sidney in an uncomfortable position where other people would judge him or think lowly of him. Sidney knows other people don’t need that excuse to criticize him in any way, but he’s always felt flattered that Geno still thinks of things like that. 

The truth of the matter is that Evgeni Malkin is like no other Alpha. 

The truth of the matter is that Evgeni Malkin is the Alpha Sidney Crosby is desperately in love with. 

Lord Evgeni Malkin moved to the village of Nova Scotia five years ago, when Sidney had recently turned 25 and was at his most belligerent phase. He was angry most of the time, fighting stereotypes and prejudices left and right. 

In his mind he had something to prove - that being an Omega wasn't shameful, that being an Omega was so much more than what other people made it out to be, that being an Omega didn't make him less of anything. In his mind he rejected everything that had to do with traditional views of Alphas and Omegas, their roles and obligations. He knew, even back then, that he wasn’t alone in his views and thoughts, but he still felt so alone. 

And then in came Evgeni Malkin. In he came, asking Sidney to call him “Geno” only a few days after they met. In he came, listening to everything Sidney had to say, never dismissing it, but using it to better himself. In he came, with his beautiful state that he took care of by himself, doing chores that most other Alphas would never find worthy of doing. In he came, showing Sidney a side of things he had never seen before. 

It was dangerously easy to fall in love with Geno but it was dangerously hard to come to terms with what that means for Sidney. 

It’s been five years since Sidney first fell in love with Geno and since then he’s only found himself falling more and more each day. He cannot deny the facts. And he cannot deny that whenever Sidney pictures his future, whenever he finds himself actually wishing for all of those things he once rejected, it is Geno that Sidney imagines having them with. 

Sidney suspects, furthermore, that Geno has imagined some of the same things Sidney has, that he also possibly feels for Sidney something similar to what Sidney feels for him. Geno has never said this, of course, but he’s never needed to because Geno is a man of action. And in his actions Sidney has been able to read love more than once.

“You not enjoying the party?”

Geno’s question startles Sidney out of his distraction. He blinks, trying to clear his thoughts, and looks at Geno carefully, studying him. The skin in between his eyebrows shows a small wrinkle, reading clearly as an expression of his concern. 

“I’m not sure,” Sidney answers. “It’s too much.”

“It all for you, Sid,” Geno points out. 

_Sid._

There are only four people in the world who ever call Sidney “Sid “: his parents, his sister and Geno. It’s been years since Geno first did it -unprompted and so worried about having offended Sidney-but it never fails to send a shiver down Sidney’s spine. 

“I think that’s the problem,” Sidney confesses. “All this responsibility and expectations… They're all on me?”

“Responsibility?” Geno asks, in jest. “I think you doing party wrong.”

Sidney chuckles, incapable of not doing so at Geno’s light teasing. He quickly grows serious again. “About the future, I meant. About what it entails that we’re celebrating my 30th birthday.”

“Future?” Geno questions. He looks serious now, all previous traces of an easy mood erased from his face. 

“Marriage. Mating. Off-spring,” Sidney responds, moving his gaze away from Geno’s, feeling awkward and foreign pronouncing those words about himself. “Everything an Omega should concern himself with.”

Sidney doesn't receive a prompt response from Geno so he turns his head to search for his eyes. Geno is looking at him intently, hardly blinking. His expression looks rigid now, hidden from Sidney, who’s not used to not being able to read Geno as easily as an all-time favorite book. 

“Is that what you concern yourself with?” Geno asks but he interrupts Sid putting a hand up when Sidney is going to answer him. “Not as Omega. As Sid.”

In a few seconds Geno has understood better than anyone ever could. In one second Geno has proved to him why he’s the only Alpha Sidney has ever entertained a thought about. He knows Sidney. He _knows_ Sidney. He knows him as a man, as a person, as a friend. Geno even knows Sid as an Omega. 

“Maybe,” Sidney says, but his voice sounds small. “I don’t know.”

Silence descends upon them again, for longer this time. The faint buzzing of the party carries towards them but the sound of cicadas is louder, almost drowning anything else. If Sidney focuses enough he can hear Geno’s breathing, not quite in rhythm with his. 

Sidney isn’t keeping count but minutes stretch and bend between them, time so fragile Sidney imagines it breaking before his very own eyes. 

“I don’t want to be the Omega they want me to be. But I want to be myself. I’m not sure anymore if those two things are compatible.”

The words are out of Sidney’s lips before he has even decided to say them out loud, but they feel right now that they’ve been acknowledged properly. 

“What you mean?” Geno says. His face betrays that he understands more than he’s letting on and that this question is more for Sidney’s benefit than his own, an opportunity for him to express himself freely. 

“I—” Sidney finds himself at a loss for words, too many things he wants to say but not really knowing how to say them. “I want it everything, I guess is what I’m trying to say.”

Sidney takes a deep breath, running his hands through the grass to ground himself in the present, and lets it all go. 

“I want a family and I want a mate and I want to be so happy I forget I was ever not. I want to have children, but not because it’s what I’m meant to do or the only thing I can do as an Omega. I want to raise them to believe that they can be anything they want to. I want to teach them respect, compassion, empathy, justice… I also want to help people. I want to help Omegas that want the exact same things I do and Omegas who want nothing like that. I want Omegas to have a choice, to have complete control of their lives.”

Sidney pauses in his speech and sniffs when he realizes his eyes have been getting teary as he has been speaking. He tries to discreetly wipe under his eyes but he feels a gentle grip on his wrist that tugs his hand away from his face. Sidney turns his face towards Geno, whose eyes are looking suspiciously misty too. Geno caresses one of his thumbs very delicately under Sidney’s right eye and his mouth shows the tiniest smile. 

“All amazing things to want, Sid,” Geno reassures him but Sidney shakes his head, breaking contact with Geno’s hand. 

“I can’t want all of those things at the same time, can I? It’s wrong. I’m greedy,” Sidney objects. “If I want to help Omegas make a change, how can I do the one thing that everyone says we’re only allowed to do?”

“If you want Omegas be free, why you not be free to do what you want?” Geno asks, passion lacing his words as he says them. 

“If I conform to those Omega stereotypes that’s all everyone will be able to see,” Sidney explains. “They’ll see an Omega who has fulfilled their duties and whose other actions don’t matter anymore.”

“You prove them wrong, like you always do,” Geno says, grabbing Sidney’s hand and changing his position so his body can face Sidney’s better. “Children, no children. Mate, no mate. You have power, Sid. You can change world. You deserve have what you want and you no better or worse for having it.”

Sidney bites his lip as he tries to prevent more tears from falling. He feels like he’s walking towards a precipice, getting too close to the edge and tempting fate. Any day before today he would have stepped back and made his return to safer ground, but there’s something about getting older -or perhaps something about feeling older- that is making him be bolder, a little more reckless. 

“But who will want that?” Sidney asks, knowing Geno will read his words as he intends them. “A husband and a mate who won’t conform? An Omega husband and mate who’ll make it his life mission to fight against everyone who says he’s just a husband and a mate?”

Geno’s eyes close and Sidney feels the hand that’s still holding his shaking lightly. 

“No give me hope, Sid,” Geno says, his eyes still closed and his shaking hand holding onto Sidney’s tighter. “No give me hope if you don’t mean, please.”

“I would never do that, Geno,” Sidney promises. “You know that.”

Geno’s eyes open slowly, and for a second Sidney wonders if the sun has risen in the early hours of the night, until he realizes it’s just the joy that Geno’s face radiates. 

“I know you not do that,” Geno confirms. “But I wait so long. I wait years and I not know if it is real or not…”

“Geno, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” Sidney apologizes. For the waiting, the indecision, the troubles caused. Apologizes for some of what’s to come as well. “It’s real. It’s real now and it’s always been real.”

“Not apologize. Never something to be sorry for,” Geno corrects as he brings Sidney’s hand to his lips and deposits a soft kiss against his knuckles. “I wait a million years for you. And if you not want mate or husband you not apologize too because you not do anything wrong.”

Sidney feels his smile grow and he can’t help but think that his expression must have created another tiny sunrise in the middle of this dark night. He feels happiness pouring out of every one of his pores. 

Sidney doesn’t believe in labels like “Omega” or “Alpha”, but if there ever needed to be an Alpha to always emulate Sidney knows he wouldn’t hesitate to propose Geno for the job. 

“Geno…,” is the only word that Sidney can properly recall, his brain full of newfound optimism and determination. 

The world may not want an Omega like Sidney but Geno does. Geno wants him, with all of his complexities, his flaws, his indignation, his desires… Even his doubts. Geno wants him, not despite all of these but because of them. 

Most importantly, however: Sidney wants to be an Omega like this. An Omega who wants it all and has it all. An Omega who can raise a family that won’t fit into every single box that society will want it to fit. An Omega who uplifts other Omegas first, who supports them and encourages them to find their true selves in the midst of all the _should-be's_.

“Geno…,” Sidney repeats and it sounds sweeter than any word Sidney has ever pronounced. 

Sidney takes the lead, because it is who he’s always been, and places both of his hands on Geno’s cheeks, bringing his face closer to Sidney’s. He pauses when there are only a few centimeters between their lips and he can feel Geno’s warm breath on his skin. It’s sensual and addictive and Sidney shivers from it.

When their lips connect a soft sound escapes Geno’s throat. 

The kiss is tentative at first. Slow and searching. It’s Sidney and Geno trying to learn each other for the first time, or at least learn each other in completely new roles. The press of their lips is a little dry, their mouths closed all the way, only their lips moving against each other. 

The rhythm picks up second by second and soon they have to separate to gulp in some air. Sidney quickly pulls Geno’s face to his again, and this time he dives in with an open mouth, searching the inside of Geno’s. His tongue finds Geno’s and he feels the Alpha slowly caressing it and intertwining them. 

The movements have turned explosive and Sidney feels them deeply in his chest. 

Geno pulls back slightly and captures Sidney’s bottom lip between his own, tugging at it once, and then twice, but this time with his teeth. Sidney moans loudly, all thoughts about where he is forgotten. There is nothing but _Geno, Geno, Geno_ in his mind.

“Sid…” Geno groans, his breathing labored and his forehead resting against Sidney’s. “You kill me.”

Sidney chuckles and tries to dive in back into their kisses but Geno doesn’t let him. Sidney makes a wounded noise at the rejection. 

“Let’s go to another place,” Geno proposes, his thumb rubbing Sidney’s wet, bottom lip. “If you want.”

“Yes,” Sidney says almost instantly. “Let’s go to my rooms.”

It isn’t easy to get from the gardens to Sidney’s rooms undetected but Sidney knows his house better than anyone else in the world, and in just two minutes he sorts through the hallways to get them both there. He hasn’t let go of Geno’s hand for even a moment and he still doesn’t as he opens the door to his rooms and nudges Geno inside. 

Geno’s never been inside before, the idea too indecorous for even men as open as Sidney and Geno, but he doesn't take a second to look around the rooms. He grabs Sidney by the waist, making him gasp, and pulls his body closer to Geno’s. 

Sidney can feel Geno’s hardness pressing into him and he tentatively rolls his hips forward. The move makes Geno close his eyes and throw his head back, his neck a tempting column that Sidney latches his lips to. The skin feels rough from Geno’s slight stubble and Sidney’s lips tingle. He laps at it with his tongue and dares to suck at Geno’s Adam’s apple. 

Sidney feels his face rip away from Geno’s neck when Geno grabs his face with his hands and connects their lips together once more. 

Sidney starts walking without breaking the kiss, careful to guide Geno without stepping on his feet. He maneuvers them toward his bed and opens his eyes once to make sure they’ve reached it. Once they’re positioned right at the foot of the bed Sidney pulls his lips away from Geno’s and pushes against Geno’s chest with his hands. 

Geno loses his balance and he falls back-first on the bed, his body bouncing lightly against the mattress. 

“Sid…” Geno exhales, his eyes open wide in wonder. 

Sidney climbs on top of Geno, his legs bracketing Geno’s hips. He hovers over Geno’s body for a few seconds, not really touching him until Geno’s hands settle on Sidney’s thighs. Sidney sits, his weight setting atop of Geno’s lap and his hands resting on Geno’s chest. 

Geno’s nipples are hard under Sidney’s palms so Sidney pinches them with his fingers through the white cotton of Geno’s shirt. Geno lets out a chocked sound and Sidney longs to hear more of those from him. 

He pulls his hands away in order to remove his own shirt and then pats Geno’s chest. 

“Remove this, please,” Sidney speaks, and it surprises him how breathless he sounds even though nothing much has happened yet. 

Geno grants Sidney’s request and he elevates his upper body to remove his shirt. He doesn't lay back down and instead he presses his chest to Sidney’s. The sensation is phenomenal. So much of Geno’s skin is in contact with Sidney’s and he can feel the warmth that Geno radiates. This time it is Geno who starts kissing Sidney’s neck and Sidney buries his fingers in Geno’s hair, tugging at it to encourage him. 

Geno hunches so his lips can start traveling down Sidney’s body, from his neck to his shoulder, from his shoulder to the upper part of his chest. Finally, Geno’s lips find Sidney’s right nipple and Geno sucks on it, lavishly circling it with his tongue. He pulls away to blow on it and Sidney feels a shudder rake through his entire body. 

They’re back to being face to face and Geno looks debauched now, his hair in disarray because of Sidney’s fingers, his lips puffy and pink from Sidney’s body. 

“What you want, Sid?” Geno asks him, his voice a whisper, like he doesn't want to disturb the intimate atmosphere around them. 

“You,” Sidney replies, following Geno’s example and keeping his voice quiet. 

Geno kisses him deeply at the answer and Sidney starts moving his hips against Geno’s body. Sidney’s dick thrusts into Geno’s chest, the pressure of the movement agonizingly not enough. Sidney’s ass rubs against Geno’s own dick, his hips moving back and forth as he feels Geno’s dick right in the crevice of his glutes. 

“I want you to knot me, Geno,” Sidney says and Geno’s body seems to freeze at his words. 

Geno’s upper body falls back into the bed abruptly and he brings one of his arms up to hide his eyes from Sidney’s view. 

“You kill me, Sid,” Geno rumbles, making Sid chuckle. 

“Not yet, Geno,” Sidney says, standing up from his perch. 

“No, no, no,” Geno says, sitting up and trying to grab at Sidney’s body but failing to do so. 

Sidney moves his hands to the waist of his trousers and raises an eyebrow. 

“I’m just going to take these off, if you’ll allow it,” he explains. 

Geno nods vigorously as he quickly moves to do the same with his. He doesn't get up from the bed, just elevates his waist and pushes the trousers down his wide thighs, kicking his legs to push them all the way down until he realizes his boots prevent them from sliding off. He has to bend at the waist and unlace his boots to take them off, and then his trousers are finally off, laying rumpled on the bed. He’s completely bare against the sheets then, all his body on display for Sidney’s eyes only.

Sidney takes more time with his garments and he rests one of his feet against the mattress to unlace his right boot first. He hadn't meant for his actions to come across as seductive or alluring but the way Geno’s eyes gaze upon his body makes Sidney bask on the attention. 

Once his boots are off, Sidney moves to his trousers, letting them fall down his thighs and his knees slowly. More and more of his body is revealed to Geno’s eyes and not for even a millisecond does Sidney feel bashful or apprehensive. He feels powerful. He feels strong. 

Sidney and Geno stay like that for the count of a minute, nude and not touching, simply studying each other. 

When Sidney makes his way back over to the bed, time seems to speed up, like all of his life Sidney had only been living in half. Like finally today his brain has completely woken up. All of the information he’s gathering, these new sensations, the novelty of Geno… It’s a rebirth. A true beginning. 

Sidney has been wet since the first kiss in the gardens but he’s began to feel his slick trickle down the back of his thighs now. Geno is still under him and he must feel some of it on his skin too because he goes searching for the source. 

“You so wet,” he pronounces, his fingers touching Sidney’s hole. 

“Yeah,” Sidney whispers, feeling embarrassed for the first time all evening. 

“I love it,” Geno says and Sidney can not only hear the sincerity of his tone but also read the truth in his brown eyes. 

Geno’s fingers move away from Sidney’s ass and he brings that same hand towards his own face. Sidney catches the distinct look of his slick on Geno’s fingers before the Alpha puts them into his mouth. He sucks at them diligently, his eyes half-closed, as if he’s fully enjoying the taste of Sid on his tongue. 

Sidney doesn’t think twice before crashing his mouth on Geno’s and he tries to chase his own taste on Geno’s tongue. It’s heady, hot. The feeling of forbidden enhancing every sensation.

Tradition says Geno and Sidney shouldn't be enjoying each other yet. Tradition says Sidney shouldn't be the one taking charge of their coupling in any way. Tradition says these acts should be purely practical, almost detached, definitely not filled with so much passion and desire. 

This is so much more real than tradition could ever aspire to teach. This is Geno and Sidney, completely and wholly themselves. Two individuals who want and love each other not because of biological imperatives but because of who they’ve learnt the other is. 

Sidney pulls away from the kiss when he feels Geno’s fingers circling his hole again. 

“Need to be inside so bad,” Geno states as he finally, _finally_ pushes his index finger inside of Sidney. 

Sidney moans softly and he clenches his muscles around Geno’s digit, but the sensation isn’t enough. He needs more. 

“Do it,” Sidney demands. “Enter me, Geno.”

Geno looks at him intently as a second finger joins the first inside of Sidney. 

“You sure you not need more preparation?” Geno asks. “Don’t want to hurt.”

Sidney shakes his head and he bounces his body up and down a few times, trying to get Geno’s fingers deep enough to make him feel flares, but they come out short. 

“You’re not going to hurt me,” Sidney promises. “I would already be riding you if I didn’t think that would be the most uncomfortable position for when you knot me.”

Geno’s fingers stop their movements but they stay inside of Sidney. Sidney opens his eyes and looks down at Geno, whose mouth is hanging open in amazement. 

“You want me to knot you? Tonight?” Geno asks out loud, but he’s speaking so softly Sidney thinks maybe he’s not aware he’s even said anything. 

Sidney smiles and he brings his right hand to Geno’s dick. Sidney has big hands but even so his fingers can’t close completely around Geno’s girth. Sidney strokes Geno slowly, once, twice, thumbing at Geno’s head to spread the pre-come that has leaked already. 

“I want you to knot me. Yes,” Sidney confirms. “I want you to mate me, Geno. And I think you want it too. If you want to wait that’s alright but—”

Sidney doesn’t have the opportunity to finish the sentence because in just the blink of an eye Geno pulls his fingers out of Sidney, grabs him by the waist and flips them so he’s now the one on top. Geno’s hips settle comfortably between Sidney’s thighs, and in the privacy of his own mind Sidney thinks maybe this is what they were both made for. 

“No wait,” Geno says, shaking his head and peering down at Sidney. “I’m knot you tonight. I’m be your mate.”

“Nothing would make me happier,” Sidney says. He’s never said anything more honest in his life. 

Geno smiles at him and the tenderness of the moment feels more daring than anything else they’ve done tonight. 

“Like this?” Geno says, gesturing to their bodies and the position they’re in. 

Sidney thinks about it for a few ticks of the clock before he shakes his head and kisses Geno. 

“I’d love to see your face but this will be our first time knotting and I think we should try to be as comfortable as possible,” Sidney explains. 

Geno nods his assent but doesn’t say anything, clearly waiting for Sidney’s instructions. Sidney places both on his hands on Geno’s chest and pushes him lightly, signaling for him to give Sidney’s body room to move. Geno does and Sidney quickly turns to his right, placing one of his arms underneath a pillow and bending his right knee so the image will be clear. 

Sidney turns his head when he feels Geno move as he positions himself behind Sidney, plastering his body against Sidney’s. 

“I know it’s not the same but—” Sidney starts to apologize but Geno interrupts him placing a finger against his lips. 

“It’s okay,” Geno murmurs, moving his finger so he can deposit a sweet kiss on Sidney’s lips. “There be time for everything, Sid. This good now. 

Geno moves his right arm so it’s set across the span of Sidney’s chest, and Sidney quickly places his hand above Geno’s, both now resting where Sidney’s heart would be. It’s beating wildly, Sidney can feel, and he wonders if Geno can too. 

Sidney moves his lower body back, making contact with Geno’s own lower body. Geno’s dick nudges Sid on his lower back and Sidney arch his back further, pushing his ass into Geno’s thigh unsubtly. He startles mildly when he feels a caress on one of his globes, a sweet almost wind-like touch that soon grows bolder. 

Sidney pushes his right knee closer to his chest and he feels his hole getting more exposed thanks to this. Geno’s hand finds it next but only gives it a tap before disappearing. Instead, Geno claps Sidney’s right cheek and opens it, baring Sidney completely. 

The first touch of Geno’s dick to Sidney’s hole is awkward, Sidney’s slick making it slip and get off-center. It takes three more tries but Geno’s head finally pushes into Sidney’s rim. The movement is slow, so slow, but it’s the most intense feeling Sidney’s ever experienced. 

Behind him Geno is already breathing heavily and his hand is spasming against Sidney’s chest. Sidney does great work to keep his hips still and be patient but the fire burning inside him is demanding more. Feeling confident, Sidney pushes back against Geno, causing his dick to sink further into Sidney, almost all the way in now. Geno is the one who makes the last push and his hips bump into Sidney’s ass when his dick gets buried in Sidney’s heat. 

They find a rhythm almost instinctually, a sinuous push and pull that leaves them sweaty, panting and in ecstasy. The head of Geno’s dick hits Sidney’s prostate once every two or three moves, their tempo too uncoordinated to care about accuracy, but the slow drag of Geno’s girth against Sidney’s walls is as sweet as sugar. 

“Sid,” Geno moans, his lips brushing the upper shell of Sidney’s ear. “I’m gonna— I—“

Sidney understands the broken statement and he guides Geno’s hand to his own dick, desperate to find his release as close as possible as when Geno finds his. It’s almost unnoticeable at first, the growth of Geno’s knot. It’s so progressive, so natural, that Sidney can almost forget it’s happening if not for the now more constant push against his prostate. 

It takes only a few tugs and a few more thrusts. 

Geno cries out first, his come filling Sidney as his hips keep working erratically in automatic mode. For a few seconds Geno’s hand stops his pumping of Sidney’s dick, but it rapidly starts back up again. Sidney closes his eyes tightly as his orgasm is ripped from him, his toes curling and his breath catching in his chest. 

A minute passes before he opens his eyes again, or maybe it’s a century. The sight that greets him is Geno’s hand still holding his now soft dick, Sidney’s come branding his hand and his fingers. Geno is placing soft kisses to the crown of Sidney’s head, his other hand having found Sidney’s left one under the pillow. 

“You good?” Geno enquires, his nose trailing Sidney’s temple. 

Sidney sighs contently. “I’m wonderful.”

Geno’s hand releases Sidney’s dick and moves towards his face. He cups Sidney’s chin with his thumb and his index finger. The moment is so blissful that Sidney can’t even find it in him to care about his own come on Geno’s fingers. Geno uses his gentle grip to turn Sidney’s head, finding his lips and locking them in a profound kiss. 

“Marry me.”

The sentence shocks Sidney to the core, not because of the words themselves but because of the fact that they’ve come from his own mouth. 

Tradition says Omegas and Alphas should never knot before being wed. Tradition says mating should be a family-led discussion. Tradition says Omegas should never be the one to propose. Tradition says there are careful steps to follow. Tradition says everything Geno and Sidney have done for years up until now is wrong, shameful.

This is so much more real than tradition could ever aspire to be. This is so much more. This is so much better. 

“Yes.”

Geno’s response shouldn’t really be surprising but something inside Sidney still sings when hearing it out loud. Joy floods his veins as a smile breaks on his face, a bubble of laughter escaping his lips. He feels so light, weightless. Truly unbound and unchained for the first time in years. 

“Yes, Sid,” Geno repeats. “I marry you. I be your husband.”

A clock chimes in the distance, the ring of the bells indicating that midnight has come. 

It is no longer Sidney’s 30th birthday. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://thathockey.tumblr.com/).


End file.
